Internal combustion engines, particularly diesel engines are now commonly provided with turbochargers for enhancing the engine performance. When a engine feels sluggish and there is sub par performance, the turbocharger is often the first component suspected and it is often replaced without full diagnosis.
This quick replacement occurs more frequently, when the turbocharger is on a diesel engine of a motor vehicle that is at a remote service center. The turbocharger is often replaced under warranty and sent back to the manufacturer under warranty claims. When the turbocharger is tested after its return, it is often found that there was no problem with the turbocharger and the performance problems of the diesel engine were caused by other reasons and/or other components. Hence, needless expense, time and effort is wasted because there is no adequate in-field diagnosis for a turbocharger.
While it is known to diagnose a turbocharger while still mounted in place on the engine, the prior art diagnostic methods often require complicated electronic and computer equipment to make mathematical determinations and curves interpretations. Such equipment is often not available at all remote or distant service centers.
What is needed is an expeditious field test to determine if a turbocharger is performing according to acceptable parameters using expeditious readings of barometric pressure, ambient temperature, and turbine speed. What is also needed is a method of diagnosing the turbocharger while its housing is still mounted in place in a motor vehicle engine compartment by comparing performance results with a manufacturer's map of acceptable performance.